There is more going on with this signal mirror than meets the eye. When you look through the mesh aimer in the center of this signal mirror in the direction of the reflected sunbeam, you see a bright round fuzzy glowing "fireball" in the direction of the reflected sunbeam. To flash a potential rescuer, you sweep the very center of the "fireball" across the target. The "fireball" is created by glass retroreflective beads on the mesh that reflect the sunlight back towards the sun. Some of that light reflects off the glass-air interface at the front of the mirror back to the user's eye, creating the "fireball". A good retroreflective aimer makes it far easier to signal distant targets than other signal mirror aiming methods, which is why US military issue signal mirrors have had retroreflective aimers since the middle of World War II. The specific mirror Paul is using is a US military issue Mark 3 MIL-M-18371E 2"x3" laminated glass signal mirror. The MIL-M-18371E mirror comes in both 2"x3" and 3"x5" sizes, and can be purchased on the commercial market. The glass Mark 3 emergency signalling mirror with the retroreflective mesh aimer has been in continuous US military service since the US Navy introduced it in 1949. There is also a US government issue plastic mirror with a star-shaped retroreflective aimer, the StarFlash mirror, as well as similar quality commercial signal mirrors with retroreflective aimers, such as the Coghlans glass signal mirror and the American Medical Kits "Rescue Flash" mirror. Be aware, however, that there are some commercial glass signal mirrors made to look like the MIL-M-18371E mirror, but whose mesh does not provide the aiming "fireball" - avoid these. For more on that topic, as well as links to the MIL-M-18371E specification and the original patent on the mesh aimer, Google for "phony glass signal mirrors".
@@wmluna381 The "fireball" is a virtual image of the sun, visible only when looking through the sight in the direction of the reflected sunlight. It is created by retroreflective material in the aimer, and visible even against the empty sky. It is visible from 1:06-1:08 in the following video - the link here starts you at 0:58, the start of the signal mirror demonstration: ruclips.net/video/Qd26PMvK_Ks/видео.html
There is more going on with this signal mirror than meets the eye. When you look through the mesh aimer in the center of this signal mirror in the direction of the reflected sunbeam, you see a bright round fuzzy glowing "fireball" in the direction of the reflected sunbeam. To flash a potential rescuer, you sweep the very center of the "fireball" across the target.
The "fireball" is created by glass retroreflective beads on the mesh that reflect the sunlight back towards the sun. Some of that light reflects off the glass-air interface at the front of the mirror back to the user's eye, creating the "fireball".
A good retroreflective aimer makes it far easier to signal distant targets than other signal mirror aiming methods, which is why US military issue signal mirrors have had retroreflective aimers since the middle of World War II.
The specific mirror Paul is using is a US military issue Mark 3 MIL-M-18371E 2"x3" laminated glass signal mirror. The MIL-M-18371E mirror comes in both 2"x3" and 3"x5" sizes, and can be purchased on the commercial market. The glass Mark 3 emergency signalling mirror with the retroreflective mesh aimer has been in continuous US military service since the US Navy introduced it in 1949. There is also a US government issue plastic mirror with a star-shaped retroreflective aimer, the StarFlash mirror, as well as similar quality commercial signal mirrors with retroreflective aimers, such as the Coghlans glass signal mirror and the American Medical Kits "Rescue Flash" mirror.
Be aware, however, that there are some commercial glass signal mirrors made to look like the MIL-M-18371E mirror, but whose mesh does not provide the aiming "fireball" - avoid these. For more on that topic, as well as links to the MIL-M-18371E specification and the original patent on the mesh aimer, Google for "phony glass signal mirrors".
You lost me right at the point of the last sentence in your 1st paragraph.
@@wmluna381 The "fireball" is a virtual image of the sun, visible only when looking through the sight in the direction of the reflected sunlight. It is created by retroreflective material in the aimer, and visible even against the empty sky. It is visible from 1:06-1:08 in the following video - the link here starts you at 0:58, the start of the signal mirror demonstration:
ruclips.net/video/Qd26PMvK_Ks/видео.html